For Venita Siegel, a 44-year-old wife, mom of two and Oiselle athlete, that choice would help her discover a strength and resilience that she didn’t know she possessed.

Rewind to May 2012, she ran her first marathon “on a whim”. “I ran my first half marathon with friends in 2012. I really felt the running community on that day and what the running thing was all about,” says Siegel. “It was so positive and uplifting, I wanted more.”

Running her first marathon in 4:21 and her second in 4:09, she found that running the marathon came natural to her. She began her research, reading everything she could about the history of running and trailblazers such as Kathrine Switzer. Then she stumbled upon an event called the Boston Marathon. She immediately set her eyes on qualifying.

But in January 2014, just two weeks into training for Boston, a routine mammogram would turn the race into something she wanted to do, into something she needed to do.

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” says Siegel. “I didn’t want the diagnosis to affect that part of my life. I knew people were watching me on this journey to Boston and I didn’t want my family and friends to see me buckle. I knew I had to continue training.” Opting to have a mastectomy and a total breast reconstruction, she would begin her recovery unsure if Boston was still an option.

“I felt a responsibility from the beginning, that if this was going to happen to me, I wanted to represent it well and make something positive out of it,” says Siegel. “I didn’t want to let cancer defeat me and derail my dreams.”

Four and a half weeks after surgery, she started training again. Only this time with tissue expanders, a technique used in breast reconstruction to stretch out the skin and muscle tissues for permanent breast implants. Not only was it painful and uncomfortable, but her ability to fully swing her arms for forward momentum would be inhibited.

“I remember searching the Internet for ‘running with tissue expanders’ and I couldn’t find anything. I realized most women must wait until after the expanders are removed to begin running again. Women need to know that it’s something that you can still run through.” One doctor even told her she would never be able to run that year’s Boston Marathon after having a mastectomy. She found a new doctor.

“Some would say, ‘What’s the point of going to Boston? Wait till next year when you are able to run it fast,’ or, ‘There will be other marathons,’” says Siegel. “I totally rejected this notion. I accepted my circumstances and embraced the opportunity fate had given me. Having a goal kept me busy. It kept me hopeful and excited about life. I was willing to go to Boston even if I was the last person to cross the finish line.”

Nine weeks after surgery, she completed the Boston Marathon in 4:06. Of the seven marathons she had completed, the Boston Marathon became her fourth fastest finish.

“When I turned onto Boylston Street, I felt remarkably at peace. It’s a long stretch to the finish and the old me would have charged down as fast as I could to squeeze out a faster finish time in front of screaming bystanders,” says Siegel. “But on this day, I didn’t make that move. I just plodded along taking everything in, appreciating every moment. There was no reason for me to rush there, to that moment I had been striving for. I was totally content and happy with what I had accomplished. It was enough.”

She says Boston taught her how to celebrate the finish line, not the time.

“Looking back on 2013, all I cared about was the finish time. Now I have a deeper appreciation for simply finishing. Running gives me a sense of peace and happiness. It gives me friendships,” says Siegel. “It has shown me that there are no shortcuts to success. It has taught me to dwell in the positive. As I continue to go through the reconstruction process, running continues to uplift me.”

Since Boston, she has had her tissue expanders removed for permanent breast implants. With additional surgeries scheduled for the year, she hasn’t stopped running. It’s what has and continues to get her through the tough times. “There are absolutely moments when I get down, but I have to keep looking forward. With any cancer diagnosis, your mortality is put front and center and it’s an uncomfortable thing to think about,” says Siegel.

Although she says she wouldn’t call herself a particularly positive person before this experience, the diagnosis forced her to make a choice. “I could either be sad and feel sorry for myself or I could enjoy my life to the maximum and make the most of it,” says Siegel.

So far she hasn’t missed a beat. Most recently completing the Ventura Marathon and the Nike Women’s Marathon.

“People assume that when you’re going through this process that you just need to take it easy and not do too much physically,” says Siegel. “But doing that can hurt you emotionally. Staying active was so helpful for me. Continuing to move and run has really helped me mentally. It made me feel like nothing even happened to me.”